History Lecture Cruises

HRMM is pleased to partner with Hudson River Cruises for a series of History Lecture Cruises aboard the Rip Van Winkle! These two hour cruises take place one Thursday evening per month during the summer months and feature up to three lecturers providing illustrated talks of 15-20 minutes on a theme. Ticket includes hors d'oeuvres and all proceeds benefit the museum. Cash bar. 

CANCELLED: Thursday, July 11, 2019 - Industrial History

"The Rosendale Natural Cement Industry"
 In 1898, the Rosendale Cement District employed over 1,000 men and produced 3.5 million barrels of natural cement each year accounting for 42% of U.S. national production. It built such iconic structures as the Brooklyn Bridge, Croton Aqueduct Dam, west wing of the U.S. Capital, and pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Professor Schimmrich will discuss the discovery and geologic setting of natural cement in the area, the close relationship of the industry with the Delaware and Hudson (D & H) Canal and the Hudson River, and the story of its growth in the 19th Century and eventual decline in the 20th.

Speaker: Steven H. Schimmrich, Professor of Geology & Earth Sciences, Chair of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM), SUNY Ulster County Community College.

"Hudson Valley Brickyards: The African-American Experience"
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, thousands of African-Americans came up from the South during and after Reconstruction seeking jobs in the northeast. Many ended up working in the Hudson Valley's dozens of brickyards.
​
Speaker: Odell Winfield is founder and director of both the Library at the A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center in Kingston, NY, and the Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Library in Poughkeepsie.

"The Delaware & Hudson Canal- 19th Century Engine of Prosperity"
In the first quarter of the 19th century America was a young and growing nation. The D&H Canal Company's coal fueled the Industrial Revolution as well as fostering many industries by creating a reliable and affordable transportation network.  D&H Canal Historical Society Historian Bill Merchant will briefly outline the history of this important capitalistic enterprise, America's first private million dollar company, and the industries it aided.  

Speaker: ​Bill Merchant, Deputy Director for Collections, Historian & Curator, D&H Canal Historical Society

Thursday, August 22, 2019 - Shipwrecks

"The Lost Steam Fleet"
Of the once enormous fleet of steamboats that once ran up, down, and across the Hudson River, it is generally assumed that not a single vessel remains. Yet in forgotten backwaters, some ghosts can still be found. About 15 years ago, Tom Rinaldi spent many months tracking down visible remnants of the Hudson's lost steam fleet and will share his findings.

Speaker: ​Thomas Rinaldi, co-author of Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape (2006) and author of New York Neon (2012). He currently works as an architectural designer in New York City.

"What Lies Beneath: The Archaeology of the Hudson River and Lake Champlain”
The rich record of human events along the Hudson River-Lake Champlain corridor has left a tangible legacy of shipwrecks that reflect on this rich maritime heritage. Join Art Cohn as he shares his experience working underwater to identify and preserve this priceless cultural legacy.

Speaker: Art Cohn, Co-Founder, Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and Research Institute, and professional diver, historian, educator and advocate for the preservation of historical shipwrecks.